The answer is to use AWS Config with a custom rule triggered by iam:CreateUser, paired with an AWS Lambda function that deletes the user and sends an Amazon SNS notification. This solution is correct because AWS Config custom rules can be configured to react to specific API calls captured by AWS CloudTrail, enabling both detection and automated remediation of IAM user creation across AWS Organization accounts. The Lambda function acts as the remediation engine, immediately deleting the offending user and alerting the security team via SNS, which satisfies the requirement to enforce a federated-only access model. On the SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of combining AWS Config with event-driven automation to enforce preventive security controls at scale, often appearing as a trap where candidates mistakenly choose Service Control Policies (SCPs) alone—SCPs can deny the action but cannot delete an already-created user or send notifications. Memory tip: think “Config catches, Lambda kills, SNS chills” to recall the detection, remediation, and notification chain.
SAP-C02 Practice Question: Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design solutions for organizational complexity. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A large enterprise uses AWS Organizations with hundreds of accounts. The central security team needs to enforce that no IAM users are created in any account; instead, all access must be through IAM roles federated with the corporate identity provider. The security team wants to detect any IAM user creation and automatically remediate it by deleting the user and notifying the security team. Which solution should be implemented?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use AWS Config with a custom rule triggered by iam:CreateUser, and an AWS Lambda function that deletes the user and sends an Amazon SNS notification.
Option A is correct because AWS Config custom rules can be triggered on specific API calls via AWS CloudTrail events. By configuring a custom rule with an AWS Lambda function triggered by iam:CreateUser, the solution can automatically delete the newly created IAM user and send an SNS notification to the security team, providing both detection and remediation.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Use AWS Config with a custom rule triggered by iam:CreateUser, and an AWS Lambda function that deletes the user and sends an Amazon SNS notification.
Why this is correct
Config rule triggers Lambda for automatic remediation and notification.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use IAM Access Analyzer to detect and report IAM user creation.
Why it's wrong here
Access Analyzer analyzes resource policies, not user creation events.
✗
Use an SCP to deny iam:CreateUser across all accounts.
Why it's wrong here
SCP can deny creation but does not delete existing users or notify.
✗
Enable AWS CloudTrail and create a metric filter for iam:CreateUser, then set up an Amazon CloudWatch alarm that triggers an SNS notification.
Why it's wrong here
Only notifies; does not delete the user.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may choose an SCP (Option C) because it prevents IAM user creation, but the question specifically requires detection and automatic remediation (deletion and notification), not just prevention.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
AWS Config custom rules use AWS Lambda functions that evaluate resource configurations or, when triggered by CloudTrail events, can invoke remediation actions. The Lambda function receives the event details, including the user name and account ID, allowing it to call the IAM DeleteUser API. This approach ensures that even if an IAM user is created in a child account, the central security team's Lambda function (deployed via StackSets or cross-account roles) can remediate it across the organization.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity — This question tests Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use AWS Config with a custom rule triggered by iam:CreateUser, and an AWS Lambda function that deletes the user and sends an Amazon SNS notification. — Option A is correct because AWS Config custom rules can be triggered on specific API calls via AWS CloudTrail events. By configuring a custom rule with an AWS Lambda function triggered by iam:CreateUser, the solution can automatically delete the newly created IAM user and send an SNS notification to the security team, providing both detection and remediation.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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